Malek's Sword
Items article |image=Defiance-Item-Malek'sSword-Close.png |caption=Malek's Sword in Defiance |introduced= Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003) |appearances= Defiance}} Malek's Sword was an artifact used by Kain in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. It was the third quest-related item encountered by Kain and could be found in the Sarafan Stronghold in the chapter Pursue Moebius Profile When Kain returned to the Sarafan Stronghold in the early chapters of Legacy of Kain: Defiance he passed a statue of Malek in the cloister courtyard. Passing through again in the chapter Pursue Moebius Kain noted that the statue was missing a sword and a shield - further evidenced by a nearby mural depicting Malek with both, and two Sealed Doors bearing images of a sword and a shield respectively. Defiance-Stronghold-Cloister-MalekStatue&Doors.PNG Defiance-Screenshot-SarafanStronghold-MalekStatue.png Defiance-Items-MalekSword-Start.PNG Defiance-Item-MalekSword-Gain.PNG Def-Inventory-Malek'sSword.PNG Defiance-Item-MalekSword-Use.png Defiance-Items-MalekStatue-Completed.PNG After using the Falcon Insignia to reach the second level of the upper levels of the chapter house and Sanctuary area Kain was able to find Malek's Shield in the relic room nearby. Returning the shield to the statue dispelled the barriers protecting the 'Shield Mural' door and thus opened up a new passage. The new passageway led to the upper levels of the courtyard and the main battlements areas. Above the main battlements, Kain found another statue of Malek, holding Malek's sword. The sword itself appeared to be of a familiar Sarafan-inspired design consisting of a long straight blade with a ribbed two-pronged Sarafan symbol at the hilt. Returning the sword to Malek's statue in the lower level of the courtyard, Kain was able to dispel the barriers protecting the 'Sword Mural' door and ascend once again, this time to the 'Gatehouses' and 'Tower' areas where he could collect the Decorative Sword and Flame Reaver - ultimately reaching Moebius in the upper tower. Notes *Malek's Sword is explicitly named as such in the inventory and its name is reiterated in dialogues, objectives and in the official guide. It is also referred to in objectives and dialogue as "Malek's missing sword" and simply "the sword" or "his sword" in reference to Malek. *Game files list the item as "shold_artifact_two" and the corresponding doorway as "shold_artthree_b". A corresponding 'lock' texture labelled as "shold_lock_two" is included in files but consists mainly of effects and does not include the statue itself which is counted as part of the environment. Curiously the 'lock' textures also include an image which appears to be the cut Blue Chalice. *Like all the quest items seen in Defiance, Malek's Shield is never seen being carried. The item disappears once taken from its original position and can only be seen in the inventory screen. It reappears on screen when placed in it's final position. *Like the Falcon Insignia and Malek's Shield, the appearance of Malek's Sword is foreshadowed in ''Chapter 1:Infiltrate the Stronghold'' of ''Defiance'', when Kain passes Malek's Statue (and it's accompanying murals) in the 'cloister' courtyard. Unlike the Falcon Insignia, Kain does not comment on the statue or the related quest items until ''Chapter 3:Pursue Moebius''. Defiance-PrimaGuide-MalekStatue.png|The multiple statue states in the Prima guide Defiance-BonusMaterial-EnvironmentArt-SarafanStronghold-15.png|the similar concept art in Bonus materials Defiance-Texture-SarafanStronghold-Malek.png|the mural in the final game Defiance-Items-MalekStatue-Completed.PNG|The mural compared with the final placement of items on the statue. *In addition to the hints from dialogue a mural of Malek is positioned behind the statue and between the two Sealed Doors which hints at the solution to unlock the doors - showing him armed with both sword and shield. The doors themselves themselves also feature designs reminiscent of a sword and shield. *The Sealed Doors that open when Kain places Malek's sword and shield at his statue initially appear to be protected by a yellow variant of the earlier Blessed Barriers - these cannot be dispelled by the Balance Reaver enhancement and only when Kain returns Malek's sword and shield to his statue are the barriers dispelled. *Bonus materials and the Prima official guide depict early concept art of Malek's statue showing it in various states of being armed with the shield and sword. The artwork perhaps suggests that the statue was originally to be positioned on a circular plinth against a wall - as it appears in the relic room. The order of the items added to the statue also suggests that early designs may have had the sword gained first whereas in the final game the shield is the first to be gained - this is supported by game files which list the shield as "shold_artifact_three" and the sword as "shold_artifact_two". The artwork itself seems to have been adapted to create the 'solution' mural between the doors - notably however there are differences, with the actual statue holding the shield at a different angle and the sword being held upward rather than downward as depicted in the mural, although the initial sword statue also holds the sword downward. SR2-Sar-LongSword-Front.png|A Sarafan Sword (Soul Reaver 2) Sarafan Templar3.jpg|A Sarafan Templar Sarafan Sword (Defiance) Defiance-Item-Malek%27sSword-Close.png|Malek's Sword (Defiance) *Several fans have noted that the appearance of Malek's statue is slightly inconsistent with other depictions of him in the series, as to date Malek has only been depicted using a pike as a weapon - Although it is likely that Malek's role as Conflict Guardian may have provided him with a certain level of weapon expertise. It is similarly unclear whether the nomenclature implies that Malek had ownership of the item at any time. *Malek's Sword features a prominent Sarafan symbol at the hilt of the blade and appears to be of the same design as the Sarafan Long Swords seen in Soul Reaver 2 - albeit more heavily worn, rusted and aged. In Soul Reaver 2 the swords had been used by the Sarafan Warrior Swordsmen as well as some of the Sarafan commanders. Similar swords (in a slightly lower resolution) can be seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance in the hands of Sarafan Templar enemies - these appear to be much newer and more polished than the Malek's sword item, but due to the game mechanics they can no longer be picked up and used. *Malek's Sword is one of several items encountered in the series that are related to Sarafan leader Malek. As well as Malek's Sword, the quest item Malek's Shield could be gained in Defiance and returned to the same statue. Initially upon his first appearance in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Malek's soul was bound to his armor, effectively making him a wraith - this armor would continue to represent Malek until his death and would continue to be seen in Malek's (living) appearance in Soul Reaver 2 - replicas of it were also seen in Defiance. Malek's Helmet was seen in Blood Omen where it acted as Malek's Pillar token and was taken by Kain upon his defeat - it was also seen in Soul Reaver 2 with Malek's reappearance there and replicas were seen in Defiance . Finally Malek's trademark Pike could be seen in Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 2, and even stolen using tricks in the latter. *Like the other quest items in Defiance, Malek's Sword appears in the secret "artifact1a" room. The Artifact 1a Room at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Gallery Defiance-Items-MalekSword-Start.PNG|The original position of Malek's Sword in the chamber above the Main Battlements Def-Inventory-Malek'sSword.PNG|Malek's Sword in the inventory Defiance-Item-MalekSword-Use.png|The final placement of the sword on the courtyard statue Defiance-Texture-Malek'sSword.png|Texture of Malek's Sword Defiance-Texture-Sealed-MalekSword.png|Texture of the sword door Defiance-Sealed-MalekSword.png|The sword door in game Defiance-Items-MalekStatue-Completed.PNG|the completed statue in game Defiance-Model-Object-Shold artifact two.png Defiance-Model-Object-Shold artthree b.png See also *Malek's Shield *Malek *Malek's armor *Malek's Helmet *Long swords (Soul Reaver 2) References Browse Category:Browse Category:Defiance Category:Items Category:Items/Defiance artifacts Category:Items/Defiance